Bailer for wells



Oct. 20, 1936. H. SMITH ET lAl.

` ',BAILER FOR WELLS Filed June 6, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. zo, 1936.-

H. SMITH ET Al.

BALLER FOR WELLS Filed Jupe 6, 1954 s Sheets-sheet s INVENTORS,

Patented Oct. 20, 1936 UNITED STATES BAILER FOR WELLS Herman Smith and William A. Larson,

Oklahoma City, Okla.

Application June 6, 1934, Serial No. '729,247

3 Claims.

Our invention relates to well bailers for removing detritus, substances and fluid from wells.

In oil wells it frequently or periodically becomes necessary, in order to keep them producing, to clean out debris or dctrital materials which through the force of gravity accumulate at the bottom of the wells.

A bailer, usually consisting of a hollow tubular open topped bucket having a check valve in its lower end, is lowered into the well upon the end of a cable and each time it reaches the bottom of the well some of the debris, if it is loosely deposited, is forced into the bucket by the force with which it strikes the well bottom. It frequently occurs that the conglomerate is made up of pieces of material too great in size to enter the bailer, and when this is true the conglomerate must either be drilled up into smaller pieces, or specially designed tools must be used to grapple the larger fragments of the debris and bring them to the surface of the earth.

It is the prime object of the present invention to provide a bailer which may be lowered into a well in the usual manner, and so constructed that during the lowering operation it remains closed, but when it reaches the bottom of the well, the fluid will be drawn into the bucket with such force and velocity that a greater amount of the debris will enter the bucket than is possible with usual bailers. The force and velocity of the fluid is such that if the debris is packed it will be disintegrated by the iiowing fluid and any particles or pieces small eno-ugh to enter the aperture in the bucket be forced to enter.

Ano-ther principal object of the invention is to provide a bailer which is so designed that its lower end may be connected to various tools for tearing up the larger pieces of the debris each time it reaches the bottom of the well.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a device of the class described which will be new, novel, practical and of utility; which will accomplish a given amount of work in less time than is now possible withusual bailers; the valve mechanisms of which will be positive in action; the moving parts of which are all removable and replaceable; the manufacturing cost of which will not be prohibitive; which is strong and durable; and, which will be eflicient in accomplishing all the purposes for which it is intended. With these and other objectsin view as will more fully appear hereinbelow, our invention consists in the construction, novel features, and combination of parts hereinafter more fullydescribed, pointed out in the claims hereto appended, and villustrated inthe accompanying three-sheet drawings, of which,

Figure l an elevational sectional View .of the uppermost portion of the device; p c

(Cl. 16S-19) Fig. 2 is a similar view of the portion lying next below that illustratedin Fig. l; A

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the portion lying next below that illustrated in Fig. 2; Y

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view, partially in section, detailing the valve operating mechanism illustrated in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an elevational sectional View of the-portion of 'the device lying next below the portion illustrated in Fig. 3;

Fig. V6 isa perspective view of the lowermost portion of the device and showing one type of tool which may beused for breaking up the debris'in the bottom of the well; and,

Fig. '7 is an elevational View yof the complete device. Y

Like characters of reference designate like partsV in all the figures.

It is understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size, shape, weight and other 20L details lof construction, within the scope of our invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit orb-road principle of our invention and without sacrificing any of the advantages thereof; and it is also understoodthat the drawings are to be interpreted as being illustrative and not restrictive.

In the drawings: Y

The reference numeral I (Fig. 1)V indicates as a whole the uppermost portion of the device, which consists substantially of a solid body having at its upper end La threaded pin 2 which. isy adapted tobe :connected to any desired means,- not shown, for attaching it to the lower end of a cable, not shown. The member I intermediate its ends is provided with two flattened portions 3 for Vreceiving a wrench or other tool for causing its rotation. The lower end portion of the member I is provided with exterior threads '4 which act as ameans for connecting thereto a tubular oil chamb-er 5 which may be of any desired length but which in actual use :is preferably about twenty feet long. The member I is providedY atits lower end portion with a bore 6 'which communicates between the interior of the chamber 5 andthe exterior-of the member I,y and the bo're'diY is equipped with any usual or desired `check valve mechanism 'l which is adapted to open upon upward pressure-and close upon downward'pres- 4sure thereupon. It is preferable that the mechanism l, including its seat, spring, and spring detentureshall all be removable.

Threadedly connected to the lower endof the chamber 5 is a hollow cylindrical Vbody 8 the lower end of which vis providedV with exterior threads 9 the oflice of whichwill be more fully described hereinbelow. AsY may best be s'eenin Fig. 2 the body A8 has a central bore I0 which communicates with the interior of the y.chamber 5 and Vwhich is surrounded by walls considerably greater in thickness than the walls of the chamber 5. The lower end portion of the bore I8 is enlarged as shown at II and the lowermost portion` thereof is equipped with interior threads I2. A tubular element I3 having an outwardly extending shoulder I4 and having interior threads I5 at vits upper end is threadedly engaged by the threads I2 of the body 8 and acts to adjustably confine in the enlarged portion I I of the bore I8 an adjustable valve seat member I6 the lower end of which is provided with a beveled valve seat I'I.

A straight sided indenture or supercial notch I8 is machined into one of the walls of the body 8 and terminates in a flat shoulder I9 from whence a bore 28 extends downwardly at an angle through the wall and into the bore I9 of the body 8. A tapered rod 2I bent slightly at its lower end as illustrated at 22 is slidably disposed within the bor-e 26 and bore I8 and its lower end terminates adjacent the valve seat I'I. Packing 23 adapted to be compressed by a packing nut 24 is provided around the rod 2| andthe upper end of the rod is equipped with a square nut 25 which bears against the walls of the indenture I8 to prevent the rod from rotating. One of the walls of the indenture I8 is equipped with an outwardly projecting pin 25 which limits the upward movement of the rod 2i. The oiice of the rod 2| will be more fully described hereinbelow.

To the lower end of the body 8 and engaged by the threads 9 is a tubular sleeve 27 which terminates at its lower end at a point illustrated by the reference numeral 28, and the lower end of which is equipped with interior threads 29 (Fig. 5).

The element I3 is provided with a plurality of through perforations 38 directly beneath the shoulder I4 and extends therebelow to a point of termination illustrated by the reference numeral 3| (Fig. 3) and is provided at its lower end portion with interior threads 32. The threads 32 of the element i3 engage an upwardly extending portion 33 of a conical casting 34 provided with radially spaced notches 35 for permitting the passage of a iiuid therethrough. Slidably disposed within the element I3 is a valve stem 36 the upper end of which is equipped with a beveled valve head 3'! and a lock nut 38. A compression spring 39 is provided between the upper end of the casting 34 and the lower face of the lock nut 38 for normally holding the stem 36 at the upper end of its throw at which position the head 31 is held seated within the valve seat II (Fig. 2.). When the valve head 3T is moved out of its seating position the lower end of the stem 36 protrudes somewhat below the lower end of the casting 34. The lower end portion of the stem 36 is provided with a supercial indenture or cavity 48 within which is welded or otherwise rigidly attached a bearing pin 4 i One wall of the casting 34 is provided with a throughslot 42 within which is pivotally mounted upon a pin 43 a lever arm 44 which is adapted to bear against the pin 4I and cause the downward movement of the stem 36 when its free end is moved upwardly.

As a means for moving the lever 44 to actuate the stem 36 we provide an annular member 45 having a plurality of peripheral notches 46 for permitting the flow of a fluid therethrough and having a central bore 41 for permitting move,- ment therein of the lower end of the stem 36. To one Vside of the annular member 45 is welded or rwith a port or opening 5'I.

otherwise rigidly connected a depending rod 48 which is slidably mounted within a plurality of guide rings 49 welded or otherwise rigidly attached to the interior surface of the tubular sleeve 2'1 (Fig. 2).

At any desired point beneath the member 45 the tubular sleeve 2'I is provided with a suitable check valve mechanism 58 which is adapted to open upon pressure from within the sleeve 21 and to close when a greater pressure is exerted upon the exterior of the sleeve.

As may best be seen in Fig. 5, the threads 29 carried by the lower end of the sleeve 21 connect the upper end of a tubular element 5I which is equipped with an exterior angular portion 52 adapted to receive thereon a wrench or other tool for causing its rotation. The element 5I has a port 53 through one of its walls and its lower end is interiorly threaded to receive a suitable appervalve 54 which is adapted to open upon upward and close upon downward pressure thereon. The rod 48 extends through the side portion of the valve 54 to a point somewhat below the lower end of the element 5I. The lower end of the element 5I is also provided with exterior threads 55 which threadedly engage interior threads carried by a sleeve 56 one wall of which is provided The upper end of the sleeve 56 terminates slightly below the portion 52 of the element 5I. Adjacent its lower end the bore of the sleeve 56 is reduced to form an inwardly projecting annular shoulder 58 and its extreme lower end below the shoulder 58 is provided with an inwardly projecting lug 59. Slidably disposed within the sleeve 56 is a hollow tubular casting 58 the upper portion of which terminates in an enlarged head 6I which is adapted to seat upon the shoulder 58 when the casting 68 is at the lower end of its throw. 'I'he exterior of the casting 68 is provided with a superficial guide groove 62 which is open at its lower end and within which the lug 59 slides when the casting is at the lower end of its throw. When the casting 68 is at the upper end of its throw the rod 48 will be moved upwardly and the lug 59 will be located below the groove 62 and consequently rotation of the sleeve 56 is permitted around the element 5I in such a manner that the ports 53 and 51 may be brought into registration. The lower end portion of the sleeve 56 is provided with a plurality of through perforations 63 which act as a means for preventing any sediment or extraneous materials from lodging between the sleeve 56 and the casting 58 and retarding the sliding movement of the casting. The lower end 'I9 of the bore of the casting 60 is angular in form for a purpose later described hereinbelow.

The lower end of the casting 60 is exteriorly threaded to receive a tool 64 which may best be seen in Figs. 5 and 6. The tool 64 consists substantially of a hollow body 65 the lower end of which is wedge shaped and is provided with side openings 66 for permitting ingress of a fluid. To the extreme lower end of the body 65 is removably or rigidly connected a. rod 61 having outwardly projecting barbs 68 which are for the purpose ol breaking up any debris encountered at the bottom of the well.

'Ihe tool 64 may be exchanged for any desired type of tool for disrupting or destroying various types of debris. The particular tool shown herein is designed specifically for the purpose of engaging and recovering any sheet metal objects which might be at the bottom of the well. It may be found desirable in some instances to remove the rod 61 and in this case the lower wedge shaped end of the body 65 would act to destroy large pieces oi stone. The lower aperture of the casting 6D is made angular in form for a purpose which will later be described herein.

Operation When the device is started to be lowered into the well both chambers are empty, and the valve head 31 is held seated in the valve seat I1 by action of the spring 39. The valve mechanisms 1 and 50 are then in a closed position, and the flapper-valve 54 is also closed. The weight of the ring 45 and rod 48 at this time has forced them to the lower end of their throws, and consequently the casting 60 is seated upon the shoulder 58 and the lug 59 is within the groove 62.

In practically all oil wells the natural pressure within the oil bearing stratum holds a column of oil in the well for a considerable height above such stratum. In many deep wells this column of oil stands in the well casing at a height as great as fteen hundred to twenty-ve hundred feet and is consequently causing a bottom hole pressure of some seven hundred and lfty to twelve hundred and fty pounds per square inch.

As the lower end of the device comes in contact with the column of oil the valve 54 opens and the interior of the lower chamber is lled with oil up to the valve seat I1. The upper chamber 5 maintains its original pressure during the lowering operation which pressure is equal to the atmospheric pressure at the top of the well and which consequently is considerably less than the bottom hole pressure of the well. When the tool 64 strikes the debris in the well bottom the element 60 is moved upwardly and forces the rod 48 upwardly which in turn causes the ring 45 to contact the free end of the lever arm 44, the other end of which acts upon the pin 4I to lower the stem 36 against the action of the spring 39 and opens the Valve head 31 from its seated engagement with the valve seat I1. When this occurs the upper chamber 5 acts similarly to a Vacuum chamber and the oil in the lower chamber is drawn with great force into the upper chamber at an extremely high velocity. The movement of this oil consequently causes a tremendous suction in the openings 66, in the tool 64 and any debris around the tool which is of a size suftlciently small to enter the openings 66 will be speedily washed into the lower chamber.

Instead of considering that the low pressure in the chamber 5 forms a suction to draw the oil and debris into the device it may instead be considered that the bottom hole pressure Vforces the oil into the upper chamber under a pressure of from seven hundred and fty to twelve hundred and fifty pounds per square inch. In either event it may be seen that the speed and force of the oil entering the device will be suflicient to not only carry with it any loose particles of the debris, but that it will actually disintegrate most debris by hydraulic force.

When the oil enters the chamber 5 the valve mechanism 1 will remain closed because the exterior pressure thereon, caused by the column of oil, will be as great as the pressure within the chamber. The air in the chamber 5 will therefore be compressed into a small space in the upper portion of the chamber.

Due to the fact that the upper end of the rod 2I is exposed to the pressure of the column of oil, and this pressure is transmitted by the rod to the inner face of the valve head 31, it is not necessary in opening the valve to overcome the differential in pressures between the two chambers.

As the device is withdrawn from the well and approaches the earths surface the valves 1 and 50 will open to equalize the pressure within the device with the atmospheric pressure at the earths surface.

It will be obvious that a single chamber for receiving the fluid could be provided instead of two chambers, and suitable mechanism provided for carrying atmospheric pressure within the device to the bottom of the well, and for opening the chamber when it reaches the bottom of the well.

A particular advantage of the tool lies in the fact that the intake openings 66 are in a position at which any of the debris disrupted by the tool will be drawn therein. Also that the tool disrupts part of the debris each trip into the well, and various tools may be used.

After the loaded device has been raised from the well, the angular bore 10 of the casting 60 is engaged by a suitable tool to prevent rotation of the casting 6I), or if the tool 64 is used it may be engaged by a suitable tool for a similar purpose. The sleeve 56 is then rotated to bring the ports 53 and 51 into registration and the uid in the device is thus permitted to escape.

It may be seen that the ring 45 insures positive contact with the lever arm 44 regardless of the radial position at which the casting 34 is disposed after assembly.

Obviously, the invention is susceptible of embodiment in forms other than that which is i1- lustrated in the accompanyingk drawings and described herein, and applicable for uses and purposes other than as detailed, and we therefore consider as our own all such modications and adaptations and other uses of the form of the device herein described as fairly fall within the scope of our invention.

Having thus described our invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a well bailer, a housing adapted to be lowered to the bottom of a well and forming two superimposed chambers, one of said chambers being closed and adapted to hold therein air at the atmospheric pressure present at the top of the well, the other chamber being free to fill with the fluid in the well during the lowering operation, communicating means between the two chambers, a valve for normally closing said communicating means, means for opening the valve when the housing reaches the bottom of the well,

1, and

HERMAN SMITH. WILLIAM A. LARSON. 

